Let us understand Turn Around of Indian Railways .

Concerned at the loss of lives in accidents at the Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLC), the Delhi division of Northern Railway, has for the first time in its history roped in a professional theatre group to create awareness through ‘ nukkad nataks’ (street corner plays) about the safety precautions to be adhered to at such crossings. The Nukkad Natak series, that would span a distance of 200 km, was launched on Tuesday.

Besides minimising accidents at the UMLCs, the plays are designed to make people aware about safety hazards like trespassing and roof riding, which often result in avoidable fatalities. The theatre group would stage plays at railway stations, nearby villages and gram panchayats in the Delhi Division.

“In the recent past, accidents have occurred as people have been carelessly crossing railway tracks with ear phones plugged in due to which they were unable to anticipate the approach of trains/ engines. To avoid such tragedies, it has become important to create awareness among road users, as cooperation from road users is seen as a major factor in controlling UMLC accidents,” said Divisional Railway Manager Anurag Sachan.

He also appealed to people to refrain from “dangerous activities’’ such as trespassing over railway tracks, travelling on foot boards, buffers, couplers and roof top of train coaches and crossing UMLCs carelessly.

The official said besides staging plays the authorities have also been engaged in pasting posters, distributing pamphlets, cinema slides and advertisements in media to create further awareness.